Tech tycoon Jeff Bezos and former US President Barack Obama are having a contentious discussion over the long-term effects of grand ambitions to colonize the solar system on Earth. Obama chastised Silicon Valley titans, such as Bezos, at the 2024 POwR.Earth Summit in Paris for allocating funds to initiatives that want to construct human colonies beyond Earth's boundaries.

Elon Musk, the SpaceX founder, began his aerospace business with a significant personal investment of about $100 million, whereas Jeff Bezos has probably invested between $7.5 billion and $20 billion in Blue Origin.

Obama voiced his doubts, saying, "I would rather us invest in taking care of this planet here," casting doubt on the reasoning for Mars colonization plans in light of possible environmental destruction on Earth. I look at them like, "What are you talking about?" when I hear them discuss the plan to colonize Mars because the Earth's ecology could deteriorate to the point that it is no longer habitable. Said Obama.

Bezos, on the other hand, argues that space exploration provides a method for humankind to continue growing while preserving Earth's limited resources. Though at the price of Earth's natural ecosystems, he cited advancements in infant mortality rates, poverty reduction, and literacy as signs of progress.

Bezos, a co-founder of Blue Origin, envisions a time when people live in enormous space stations around Earth and obtain supplies from asteroids and near-Earth objects. He thinks this idea will ease Earth's burden while promoting human exploration and creativity.

Bezos, in contrast to Musk, believes that space stations will be the main place where humans live, with Earth acting as a destination for leisure travel similar to Yellowstone National Park. Bezos declared, "I would love to see a trillion humans living in the solar system," imagining a time when human brilliance and creativity were abundant across the galaxy, akin to the Renaissance.